Olympus Medical Systems Corporation has developed key technologies, centered on "Capsule guidance system" and "Wireless power supply system", for capsule endoscopes to be used in all parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, the stomach and the colon. Olympus has always believed it is essential to equip capsule endoscopes with functions that enable them to be freely operated within the gastrointestinal tract without batteries, just like today's gastrointestinal endoscopes. It continues development work on the associated necessary technologies for treatment and diagnosis, as well as observation. Olympus has developed various fiberscopes and videoscopes since it unveiled the first practical gastrocamera in 1950.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest provider of TFT-LCD display panels, announced that it has developed a 4-inch screen digital interface LCD with a 16:9 screen ratio exclusively for Portable Media Players (PMP). PMP is a next-generation multimedia player that can play video images downloaded from the Internet at any time, any where in a convenient format. Market anticipation for a full-scale portable video player has increased dramatically in recent months. PMP's expanded capacity allows for variety of media player features including music and video. Made exclusively for the PMP market, Samsung's 4-inch widescreen LCD with a 16:9 ratio provides an outstanding digital interface with excellent color gamut and brightness.

The coveted innovation prize from the editorial team of Color Foto will be awarded to Fujifilm this year, the prize was awarded for the unique SR image sensor, which ensures a substantially greater dynamic range in digital cameras. The initials SR stand for Sensitivity Range, thus for high sensitivity with a substantially extended dynamic scope. That means that when these digital cameras are used for high contrast motifs one to four times as much dynamic scope can be achieved. This was made possible by the special structure of the Super CCD SR, which has both high sensitivity and low sensitivity pixels. SR-Sensor for high contrast imagesThe Super CCD SR has two different pixel groups: Larger, particularly sensitive S-pixels.

Concord Camera Corp. a leader in award-winning, high-quality, affordably priced digital cameras, announced that it will demonstrate its clever new wireless image transfer technology for digital cameras called WIT (Wireless Image Transfer) at Photokina next week in Cologne, Germany. Concord will showcase the new WIT technology through a standalone prototype, a pocket-sized 2"x2" WIT-enabled Wi-Fi device which plugs into a camera’s USB port allowing photos to be transmitted wirelessly over the Internet from Concord digital cameras, as well as other cameras utilizing mass storage technology. WIT technology transmits using the 802.11b standard for compatibility with all Wi-Fi hot spots and base stations, as well as using the 802.11g standard.

Seiko Epson Corporation announced that a joint development effort with NGK Insulators, Ltd. has succeeded in developing the smallest gyro-sensor of its kind in the world. The XV-3500CB, as the new gyro-sensor is being called, is scheduled to enter volume production in December 2004 and represents Epson's first salvo in a battle to expand the scope of its quartz crystal device business. The new gyro sensor boasts unprecedented stability thanks to the use of a monocrystalline quartz crystal for the newly developed gyro element. By leveraging Epson's original crystal microprocessing technology, low-power analog circuit technology, and packaging technology, the joint development team was able to achieve this gyro sensor.

Using its proprietary optical technology, Casio has developed the world's first lens using transparent ceramics. This breakthrough will make it possible to create zoom lenses for cameras with greatly reduced profiles. Ever since Casio's EXILIM thin card-size digital camera went on sale, the entire digital camera market has undergone a huge change. Compact digital cameras offering mobility in a small package have become mainstream, while there has been a major push in technological development to find better methods of creating smaller, thinner cameras. Casio is continuing to take the lead in this field by creating the world's first transparent ceramic lens using LUMICERA, a transparent ceramic developed by Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

NuCORE Technology announced that it is shipping volume production of its latest generation of CleanCapture image processors, the SiP-1280. The most powerful image processor in its class, the highly integrated SiP-1280 delivers the highest image quality and performance in the market today. "With the introduction of our previous generations of image processors, we have proven that breakthrough features, such as InfiniteBurst capture performance and image quality, are vital considerations for OEMs and the users buying their cameras," states Jim Chapman, chief executive officer for NuCORE Technology. "With the SiP-1280, we are now extending the CleanCapture capabilities enjoyed primarily by DSC to the digital video (DVC) manufacturers.

ALPS has developed two new 1.3 Megapixel camera modules for mobile telephones: the FPDF0X series, and the FPDF8X series with autofocus. Sample shipments of the FPDF0X series will commence in July 2004, those of the FPDF8X in August. Recently, there has been an advancing trend toward the incorporation of cameras into mobile telephone, notebook personal computers, PDAs and other compact mobile devices. This has been particularly prominent in the case of camera-equipped mobile telephones, and of all mobile telephones that will ship worldwide in 2004, approximately one fourth, some 150 million units, will be equipped with cameras (Source: InfoTrends Research Group, Inc. of the U.S.). Rapid growth in demand for camera modules is forecast.